When: closing April 28, 2019
It's possible I've posted two laudatory Hirshhorn write-ups back to back before, but I'm going to guess this is the first time ever. As long-time readers know, I usually can't say enough bad things about the brutalist nightmare that is the Smithsonian's collection of modern art, but I'm telling you, they've got themselves something great on now, and you need to run right out and see it.
It's called "Pulse," and the artist is Rafael Lozano-Hemmer. He sets up installations that are powered by the pulse (hence the name) of you, the viewer. You put your finger or your palm on a little gizmo (technical term), and lights flicker or water moves in time to your heartbeat. I could discuss the interplay of art and technology, or I could place Lozano-Hemmer in a long line of artists who have used the human heart in their work, but I'm willing to bet someone else will do that.
What I'm going to tell you is to go to this show because it's fun. This show is literally what you make it. The final room has not only flickering lights but a "soundtrack" of heartbeats - I was transported back to a childhood trip to the Franklin Institute, walking through their model of the human heart.
Verdict: In all of the chaos that is DC at this moment, sometimes, you just need to have a good time. If you have a heartbeat, this show is for you.
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